intake diversion fish passage position statement

8/3/2019 Intake Diversion Fish Passage Position Statement

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Fish and Wildlife Service has two areas of responsibility with regard to Intake andthe fish passage efforts. First, they are the agency with the formal responsibility

under the Endangered Species Act to establish the US Government position

through their Biological Opinion on whether or not the project is an acceptableway of addressing pallid sturgeon habitat and survival problems. Second, in other

branches of their agency they have fisheries biologists who have participated indesigning the proposed modifications at Intake Diversion.

Bureau of Reclamation: The Bureau of Reclamation or “Reclamation”

constructed the Intake Diversion dam and the water distribution system that

comprise the Lower Yellowstone Irrigation Project as part of the nation-wideeffort to establish and sustain economies in the West. The LYIP is a highly

successful project providing a valuable public resource. The dam was constructed

in 1905-1909.

Under the provisions of the Endangered Species Act, Reclamation is required toconsult with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to assure that project operations

do not jeopardize the existence of pallid sturgeon. That process has resulted in

the development of fish passage and protection measures. In the 17 years since

the ESA listing of the pallid sturgeon, knowledge of pallid sturgeon behavior, andthe options for passing fish by a structure such as Intake have both increased.

Reclamation included the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Montana Fish Wildlifeand Parks, Corps of Engineers, Lower Yellowstone Irrigation Districts, and the

Nature Conservancy in a series of meetings and work efforts to find the mostfeasible solution that would accomplish three objectives: (1) attract and pass

sufficient numbers of pallid sturgeon by Intake diversion that would allow

spawning upstream along the Yellowstone River and its tributaries; (2) protectfish from being entrained in the canal system through the irrigation headworks at

Intake diversion; and (3) provide an economically viable method of solving the

passage and entrainment issues that would ensure continued irrigation through theIntake diversion.

After consideration of over 100 alternatives, Reclamation and the Corps of

Engineers, with input from the other entities involved have identified thatconstructing a rock ramp which would span the width of the river to pass fish by

Intake is likely the best option to achieve their three objectives. This structure

would serve three purposes: (1) provide a sufficient quantity of water at mainchannel velocities to attract the fish to the passage; (2) eliminate/reduce the

present turbulence to a more laminar flow so that pallid sturgeon (and other warm

water fish) can navigate the rise needed for irrigation head; and (3) replace thepresent rock and crib diversion dam with a hardened sill at the same height to

divert water into the irrigation system. In addition a screening device would be

constructed adjacent to the headworks to prevent fish from entering the canalsystem.



Lower Yellowstone Irrigation Districts:

The districts, LYID #1 in Montana and LYID #2 in North Dakota, wereestablished to accept the operation and maintenance and replacement duties on theoriginal physical features of the Bureau of Reclamation’s Lower Yellowstone

Irrigation Project (LYIP). The districts are non-profit public corporations. It is

their duty to divert water from the Yellowstone River and distribute it through a

network of canals and laterals to the valley’s farm units. There are about 400miles of public waterways involved in delivering water to 56,000 irrigable acres.

The districts’ constituents pay annual assessments that cover all O&M&R costs.

The districts are concerned about the future O, M & R of the proposed fishprotection devices and will assist in selecting devices that are manageable.

The districts maintain the Project’s Intake Diversion Dam. The dam is a woodcrib and rock feature that spans the entire Yellowstone River except for a small

side channel (natural) that flows only during the spring runoff. It creates a head

of 5 feet during low flow. The districts add additional rock to the downstream

side of the wooden dam each year after all snowmelt has passed. The purpose of this procedure is to maintain the water level to about 1’ above the crest of the dam

and to protect the dam during incidents of high flow and ice movement. The rock

creates rapids and a barrier that pallid sturgeon and other native fish speciescannot navigate. The districts seek a fish passage option that preserves an

economically viable diversion of water for agriculture.

Corps of Engineers (COE): COE has a large scale species recovery programwhich was initiated because the series of federal dams and reservoirs along the

Missouri River, along with river modifications to make the river navigable for

barge traffic, has caused the decline of several species now listed under theEndangered Species Act including pallid sturgeon/ Because the COE has

received authorization to work with Reclamation on the Yellowstone River

through the passage of the Water Resources Development Act, the COE will add

the expertise and resources associated with its Recovery Program and apply thoseresources with Reclamation on Intake and the Yellowstone River.

Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks (MFWP)Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks is the agency responsible for management of

fish and wildlife resources within the state. MFWP has been instrumental in

assessing the effects of Intake Dam on warm water fishes, including pallidsturgeon, over the past 30 years, and will be the lead agency conducting the

evaluation of the fish passage structure's ability to pass pallid sturgeon and other

key species within the Yellowstone River native fish assemblage once it iscompleted.



State of Montana, nonprofit organizations and other conservation interests:

Because the Yellowstone River remains free-flowing and offers the potential of

long reaches of spawning and rearing habitat, Montana and nonprofit groups suchas the Nature Conservancy with an interest in pallid sturgeon survival have made

the fish passage project at Intake a high priority. Other warm water fish specieswill also benefit from this fish passage project.

Role of the YRCDC: The governor, state government agencies, and regional

citizens are looking to the YRCDC for leadership in managing the Yellowstone

River. YRCDC, made up of a coalition of conservation districts, has bothresource management and producers’ well-being as goals. The position taken by

the YRCDC is based on recent science findings from the rivers where pallid

sturgeon live, and on science experiments done in a laboratory setting on warmwater fish swimming abilities. This position seeks to eliminate conflict between

economic and conservation interests and supports the Council’s role as a grass

roots supporter of wise use of resources.

intake diversion fish passage position statement

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